For the fifth consecutive year, the UNM Division of Student Affairs has teamed up with businessman and owner of El Mezquite Markets, Sergio Bermudez, to host the annual Mezquite Golf Tournament to raise funds for scholarships for UNM students. As in years past, additional funds for the scholarship have come from Albuquerque office of the Mexican Consulate.
“We are grateful for Sergio's generosity. He brought together a number of donors to contribute to a worthy cause,” said Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, Vice President for Student Affairs. “I would also like to thank Consul Mauricio Ibarra Ponce de León for matching the total amount of scholarship funds generated by the golf tournament.”
To date the tournament has raised over $200,000 and nearly 200 recipients take another step toward their higher education goals.
"As a first generation college student, it has been really hard supporting myself with my college expenses,” said Dulce Arvitia, one of last year’s scholarship recipients. “Receiving this scholarship has helped me tremendously financially and in continuing to strive for a better future.”
Scholarship applications will be available in September of this year and will be awarded in November. This year, the plan is to award 52 scholarships of $2,000 each. Each recipient will receive $1,000 in the fall and $1,000 in the spring.
“There are not enough words to express how grateful I am as a scholarship recipient—sponsors like this help students overcome hard and stressful situations,” Arvitia said. “I will never forget where I came from and those that helped me to be successful.”
For questions or more information about the scholarships, contact the College Enrichment and Outreach Program at 505-277-5321.